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Breaking Down the Houses to Fortify the Wall

“And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.” Isaiah 22:10

Throughout the Bible, we are taught that we should focus on the inside before the outside. People have a tendency to do the opposite and work on their exterior as opposed their interior. We all have an exterior wall that others see, but we should not be working on the outside at the expense of the inside. This important principle can be applied to many areas of life.

Personal Appearance

“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

This particular passage is speaking to ladies, but this principle can be applied to men as well. We ought to look presentable, but we shouldn’t spend more time on getting physically ready for the day than we do on preparing ourselves spiritually. Whether you’re a man or a woman, who you are on the inside is more important to God than the way you look on the outside.

“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Public Image

Being overly concerned about the way that you appear to others often has nothing to do with looks or clothing. Some people’s metaphorical wall involves doing only that which will get them public recognition. When we do things for the Lord, we shouldn’t be doing them for the praise of men. Yes, we do want to be an encouragement and an example to others, but the primary reason we serve in the church should be for the Lord. People won’t know how much you pray or read your Bible at home, so there can be a tendency to neglect those areas. Are you spending more time debating doctrine on Facebook than actually reading the Bible? Social media might be an exterior wall, which is causing you to neglect the inside.

Salvation

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10

To be truly saved, one has to believe the gospel in his or her heart. Other religions teach a works salvation which focuses on the external. Baptism, repenting of sins, communion, etc., are all outward works that cannot save. People need to get saved first, and then hopefully, they will love the Lord enough to start building the wall of good works.

“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Matthew 23:26

It is important to “let your light so shine before men,” but let’s make sure that we have the interior to match. A city is built first before adding the exterior wall. The exterior should be an outflow of the interior.

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

The Green Grass of Social Media

If you spend too much time on social media and don’t socialize enough in real life, you could end up feeling like a failure. Most people put their best foot forward online, so when you aren’t around people in real life, their proverbial grass might start to look greener.

That girl you went to school with might be showing you the best selfie out of 27 takes. Her obese figure is conveniently cropped out and so is her husband’s court-ordered ankle bracelet. When your cousin took that picture of his baby in an immaculate-looking home, his wife shoved the laundry pile and dirty dishes out of view just before snapping the picture. Another buddy of yours might only post on special occasions, so you get the impression he is always going out to eat or on a family vacation. When you see his adult son photographed at the Thanksgiving table, what you don’t see is that he’s a drunk that they hardly ever hear from. You might see photos of his joyous wedding a few years later and assume he was always the perfect son.

It’s not just pictures that can be deceiving, but those select snippets of life that are deemed worth sharing with virtually everyone we know. We’ll post statuses when our children say something thoughtful, our spouse does something romantic, or we get promoted at work. What you don’t see much of on Facebook is marital strife, credit card debt, and dysfunctional families.

This is not to say that Christians should air their dirty laundry on the internet. Criticizing your spouse publicly is disrespectful and could damage your relationship, and children and teens are easily embarrassed. Yes, keep most of your posts positive, and retain a good testimony to your unsaved acquaintances, but don’t be a braggart either. Keep it real, but realize that others might not be as transparent. People are more likely to confide in you one-on-one than in a post geared toward everyone on their friend list.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16

There is already a tendency to envy people when you don’t live with them and see how they act at home, but social media can exacerbate this problem by providing an even more skewed view of others. If everyone’s posts make it seem like you’ve missed the boat, perhaps you need to unplug for a while and socialize with real people in real life. Then, at least you won’t be looking at everyone else’s life through the filtered lens of social media.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Exodus 20:17

Here is a sermon on covetousness.